Autumn Equinox: Day 7

It's the final day of our Autumn Equinox celebrations! And it's the Autumn Equinox, so the first day of autumn! Rob was at work today, so I just had a few nice, lowkey things planned to celebrate the start of the new season.

Autumn Walk

Okay, maybe this wasn't the most dramatic nature walk ever, as I was only going to the supermarket. But I got to see plenty of little seasonal things along the way, not least the incredible amount of acorns on the oak trees.

Maple Hazel Hot Chocolate

Popped into Costa before tackling the supermarket. I don't normally like hot chocolate, but I felt obliged to have the most autumnal drink on the menu today.

Apple Crumble Cake

The rest of the day was mostly spent cooking and baking with things from our most recent Groobarbs veg box. First up was an apple crumble cake.

Banana Bread

I know I make banana bread all year round, but I'm calling this an autumnal recipe because I added blueberries to it!

Leek, Potato and Fennel Soup

I made a leek, potato and fennel soup today, which definitely tasted very seasonal. I served it with a bit of crumbled blue cheese (which you can't see in the picture) and some walnuts.


And so the wheel of the year turns... We'll be celebrating again at Halloween. And as we're doing 31 Days of Halloween again (starting on 1st October)... the wheel is turning pretty quickly this time.

Autumn Equinox: Day 4

It's the start of squash season! Hooray! We didn't have any time for festivities today (work), but we did have time for squash.

Spaghetti Squash

We got a spaghetti squash in this week's Groobox delivery, so we had it for tea, baked with cheese and truffle oil. 'Tis the season!

Autumn Equinox: Day 3

Another day of celebrating the Autumn Equinox, but another day of being too busy for festivities. I've got a feeling my posts this year are going to be totally dominated by food. Well... it is harvesttime.

Corn on the Cob

I started off the harvest season with corn on the cob (at the start of our Lammas celebrations), so it's only fitting that I'm rounding off the season with it as well. We've had a lot of sweetcorn in our Groobox deliveries this summer!

Countdown to Christmas: Day 6

Another day of celebrating the festive season, and although we were both at work today, we had a special night out planned (and the first of several Christmas Dinners this year).

Fancy Mince Pie

Nice little addition to a tea break at work... a fancy mince pie (leftover from an event last night)!

Postcard from Rovaniemi

My walk to work this morning took me to the next milestone on my The Conqueror virtual walking challenge through Rovaniemi. I got a postcard from Ounasvaara Hill.

Christmas Dinner at Groobarbs

Tonight, we went for a wonderful festive dinner at Groobarbs Field Kitchen. We started off with crackers and mulled cider, and then enjoyed a four course meal made with seasonal produce grown on the farm and sourced from its neighbours. The food was gorgeous, and I loved recognizing all the ingredients that we've had in our veg boxes recently (particularly squash, but also beetroot, parsnips and celeriac).

Advent Tea

Today's tea from my Bird and Blend advent calendar was Great British Cuppa!

Advent Model

And the model in our other advent calendar today was a little train!

31 Days of Halloween: Day 30

The penultimate day of our Halloween celebrations! I've got forest, films and pumpkins planned!

Ghost Stories Walk and Talk

Today started off with a really enjoyable Ghost Stories Walk and Talk for Friends of Bailey's Wood. I led a gentle, social walk in the forest, telling stories about lost knights, woodland werewolves, and the time the devil came to Dam Head. And then we had Halloween cakes and cherry squash in the woods!

Halloween Film Afternoon at the Care Home

This afternoon, I was at Castlerea Care Home for our annual Halloween Film Afternoon. I did my traditional dramatic reading of 'The Raven', and then we settled down with some popcorn and Halloween cakes to watch... well... Halloween.

Crown Prince Squash

More squash! We got a Crown Prince Squash in our Groobarbs veg box today!

Halloween Dinner

We went for dinner at my mother-in-law's tonight. I took her a mini pumpkin, and she gave us pumpkin pie (not made from the same pumpkin, of course).

P is for Prom Night

And then we continued our Horror A-Z with my mother-in-law, watching Prom Night tonight.

31 Days of Halloween: Day 16

Another day of celebrating Halloween! Not a lot of festivities today (due to work commitments) but I tried my best with what I had.

Cinnamon Sugar Crème Brûlée

I was at a training session all day today, which wasn't particularly festive. I tried to pick the most seasonal thing from the lunch table though. I probably deserve points for trying.

Spaghetti Squash and Uchiki Kuri

Our Groobarbs veg box arrived today, with not one but two squashes! Hooray!

31 Days of Halloween: Day 2

It's the second day of our Halloween celebrations for this year!

Harlequin Squash

Spooky season is also squash season. And right on cue, we got a harlequin squash in our Groobarbs veg box today! (Not sure if we'll go as crazy for squashes as we did last year, but you never know.)

The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue

This is absolutely a Halloween tradition for me... it isn't October until I've watched The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue! We went to a screening at Cultplex this evening, as that's the one place you can guarantee will screen this absolute classic every year.

Countdown to Christmas: Day 15

Our Cornish pre-Christmas holiday continues...

Lizard

Another day in our lovely little isolated cottage at The Lizard.

Christmas Earrings

And another new pair of Christmas earrings! A little pair of Christmas puddings from BadcatdesignByZoe!

Ann’s Pasties

When in Cornwall... Ann's Pasties are the best pasties.

Mince Pie Flapjack

Lovely mince pie flapjack that we bought from Flapjackery in St Ives yesterday.

Cinnamon Roasted Squash

I attempted a festive dinner tonight. Cinnamon Roasted Crown Prince Squash (with a squash from our most recent Groobarbs delivery) with mash and sprouts. I'm not sure I was a fan, but Rob seemed to really like it!

The Other Mrs Walker

The next book I read on holiday was The Other Mrs Walker by Mary Paulson-Ellis, one of the library books I borrowed in December. And I had a cup or two of Whisktea from Bird and Blend while I was reading it.

Advent Tea

Behind Door No. 15 in my Bird and Blend tea calendar... Jammy Dodgers!

Advent Jewellery

And behind Door No. 15 in my Avon jewellery calendar... a silver loveheart pendant!